‘This Is Not Kickboxing!’- Israel Adesanya Looking to Run Through Rival Alex Pereira in Potential UFC Title Encounter
At a UFC news press conference held on Tuesday, Israel Adesanya talked about an opponent who is swiftly circling around the UFC’s title picture. The only man to knock out Israel Adesanya in combat sports is likely one fight away from facing him again, but this time in the UFC’s octagon.
Alex Pereira is about to face Sean Strickland at UFC 276 and with a win over a veteran like Strickland, ‘Poatan’ is likely the next to face Israel Adesanya. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was KO’ed emphatically by Pereira during their kickboxing contest and he’s now circling Adesanya in the UFC.
Israel Adesanya believes Alex Pereira’s time is now
Pereira is just 2-0 in the UFC and is already on the radar to fight for the undisputed title. While some believe Alex Pereira’s rise to the UFC is far too quick, Israel Adesanya is comfortable with the way Pereira is moving up the ranks. He mentioned the newly minted champion in Jiri Prochazka as an example of a fighter who has raced his way to the top and has been more than competent.
“I look forward to either one of those fights. “I don’t like this narrative of like, ‘Oh it’s too quick for Pereira.’ But look, Jiri (Prochazka) just fought for the belt and won the belt in his third fight in the UFC. I think Anderson (Silva) did it in his second fight. So, that’s fine. He’s new to MMA. I’ve been in this game for a long time.”
“This TikTok generation has 15-second memory, so they forget,” Adesanya said. “All they see is the knockout, but they didn’t watch the first fight or even watch the second fight before the finish. This is not kickboxing, this is mixed martial arts, and these ain’t big pillow gloves. These are four-ounce deadly weapons, and I can’t wait to drive that through his face after I go through Jared Cannonier.” [h/t mmajunkie.com]
Israel Adesanya is clearly confident that his previous encounter against Pereira that ended with him being knockout out won’t be a factor in their potential UFC fight. Adesanya believes the four-ounce MMA gloves are going to be the difference as compared to their previous encounter.
